Assassins Can Be Heroes Too || Todoroki Shoto

|63| Poison Dart: Origins {A Deceased Ruler}

Blood.

Everywhere.

The stench was enough to make the girl throw up, but she forced the bile down her throat as she fell to her knees, her heart pounding against her chest. She was deaf to her mother's yelling, her father's scolding and the thundering of shoes against the flooring - possibly her servants rushing to her aid.

"Ai... nu?"

Ten days ago, Ainu and Rie were assigned together on a research project, one on a certain Hero - the pair chose to research Raging Sword, seeing as Rie knew him personally - and write a presentation on him. Himiko was unfortunately paired with someone else - they chose Best Jeanist - so they weren't going to see one another as often for their Hero Studies classes.

Thus, because of Rie's close relation with Raging Sword, Ainu suggested that they have a personal interview with Ace, asking him questions about his career and to complete any other tasks or requirements that had to be done in the project.

Seemed simple enough.

Right?

Oh, how wrong they were.

Both Reyna and Ichiro claimed they were out on a business trip, leaving Ace and Karasuma to take care of the elementary-schooler - at the time, they only hired few servants, as Rie had seemingly no need for more servants. The girl believed them - after all, why would her parents lie to her?

However, the moment the girls stepped foot into the dark and dismal manor, the future assassin immediately noticed something was wrong. Although her home was normally quiet and dark, even the furniture in her house seemed to be anticipating something to happen.

"Hello?" Rie was the first to call out into the seemingly endless void, her small voice echoing into the entrance hall and up the stairs, jolting slightly as she felt Ainu's hand grip her shirt tightly.

"Rie?" her voice was hushed.

"Yeah?"

"Is your house... always this quiet and dark?" she whispered, "I'm scared..."

"Sometimes..." she whispered, raising her voice to call back out, "Karasuma? Ace? I brought one of my friends from school for a project!"

Still nothing.

"We could go up to your room," shivered Ainu, the girl hesitating, "Rie, where are your mum and dad?"

"They're on a business-"

"Ah, it got cancelled, Rie," a menacing voice spoke, the girl letting out a small squeak as the lights slowly came back on, revealing the aduts who loomed out of the corridor to the right.

"You brought a friend, you say?" her mother hummed, elegantly descending her way down the stairs as she came to a stop in front of the girls, squatting down so that she was at eye level with the children, "what's your name?"

"A-Ainu... Danuja... ma'am," she stuttered, beads of sweat rolling down the back of her neck. She didn't want to look up, just her very presence was terrifying. Where was Raging Sword?

"Ainu... such a pretty name," her hand reached under her chin, sending shivers down her spine and forcing her vibrant eyes to stare into her friend's mother's malicious orbs, "for such a pretty girl..." she leaned in close to whisper into the eight-year-old's right ear, "you would look beautiful caked in blood."

Her eyes widened, taking a step back as Rie shot her a questioning glance, silently asking what the matter was.

She felt someone move behind her and twist her arm painfully behind her back, placing a hand over her mouth to muffle her incoming scream. She heard the snap of bones and an ear-splitting shriek as Ainu suddenly collapsed, writhing in pain as her mother stared down in distaste at the girls.

"Goodbye, Ainu Danuja."

~TIMESKIP~

It was dark.

Her arms were sore, feeling as though they were trying to be ripped from her torso.

Her feet dangled in the air as her head lulled limply.

If you saw her stature and how she was positioned, the first thing that would probably come to your mind would be 'puppet'.

She felt her head being forced upwards as a hand gripped her chin, forcing her golden orbs to stare into her mother's disapproving gaze with her father not too far behind her. His golden eyes glowed maliciously as her mother moved aside, the child's eyes dulling as she felt her chin be released, only for it to be gripped once again.

"What was her name?" his voice was dangerously low.

"Ainu... Danuja..." her voice was barely above a whisper, and only then did she realise how hoarse she sounded.

"I see... tell me, Rie," he paused, "were you two... friends?"

"Y-yeah..."

"I see..." her parents shared a glance; she could hear them sigh in sync.

"Rie, there's something we need to tell you..." her mother stated slowly, gently brushing past her father and moving in front of her, squatting so that the girls were staring at one another without forced eye contact, "and you will do well to remember it, yes?"

"Yeah..."

"Yes, ma'am," she corrected.

"Y-yes ma'am," she echoed, anticipating with a thumping heartbeat, waiting anxiously to hear whatever information her mother would have to tell her.

And she would definitely remember her mother's message, for it would remain in her mind, loud and clear.

"Rie, we are assassins. As assassins, we kill those who get close to us. We don't have time for making friends, nor do we need friends. We only have allies who we use to assist us in getting closer to our targets, and if they fail, we kill them."

"B-but-"

A red hand mark was emboldened on her left cheek, her eyes wide as her mother glared at her with stern eyes. Her father's expression remained stoic.

"But what?" she enunciated, a frown and scowl adorning her feminine features, "there is no hesitation. Never hesitate when you kill someone. When you do, you will get hurt. And you don't want to get hurt, do you, Rie?"

"N-no ma'am," she whimpered.

"Good." She straightened up, her eyes glowing violet.

ɴᴀᴍᴇ: ʀᴇʏɴᴀ ʜᴀssᴀᴋᴇ
ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴ ɴᴀᴍᴇ: ʀᴇᴅ ɢʟᴏᴠᴇ
ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ʀɪᴇ: ᴍᴏᴛʜᴇʀ
ǫᴜɪʀᴋ: ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪɴғʟɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
ʀᴇʏɴᴀ's sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ǫᴜɪʀᴋ ᴀʟʟᴏᴡs ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ɪɴғʟɪᴄᴛ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴀʀɢᴇᴛ ʙʏ sᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ 'ᴘᴀɪɴ ʀᴇᴄᴇᴘᴛᴏʀs'. ᴜɴʟɪᴋᴇ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ǫᴜɪʀᴋ ᴘᴜᴘᴘᴇᴛᴇᴇʀ, ʀᴇʏɴᴀ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴀʀɢᴇᴛ. sʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟ ʜᴏᴡ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴛʜᴇʏ ғᴇᴇʟ (ɪ.ᴇ. ᴍᴀɢɴɪғʏɪɴɢ ᴏʀ ᴅɪᴍɪɴɪsʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴘᴀɪɴ). ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴘᴀɪɴ ɪɴғʟɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, ʜᴇʀ ᴇʏᴇs ɢʟᴏᴡ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇᴛ.

"You will do well to remember that, right, Rie?"

A series of whimpers followed.

"Right, Rie?"

All she could manage before falling unconscious was a small nod.